Collar-button.



No. 638,618. Patented Dec. 5, I899;

w. n. AUSTIN & w. N. GBAW.

COLLAR BUTTON.

(Application filed Jan. 27, 1899.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES B INVENTORS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS R. AUSTIN AND W'ILLIAM N. CRAIV, OF SOUTH NORIVALK, CONNECTICUT.

COLLAR-BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,618, dated December 5, 1899.

Application filed January 27, 1899. Serial No. 703,564 (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIs R. AUSTIN and WILLIAM N. CRAW, citizens of the United States, residing at South Norwalk, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Collar-Button, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has for its object to provide a collar or cuff button adapted for general use both on mens and womens clothing, and especially adapted for attaching stiffiy-laundered collars to either shirts or shirt-waists, the essential features of our novel button being that in the receiving position the shank and head are in the form of a letter L and in the holding position in the form of a letter T and that the head turns or rotates bodily from the receiving to the holding position, and vice Versa, in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shank, so that the entire length of the shank is available to receive plies of collars, cuffs, or garments, no portion of the head ever tilting below its normal plane, the shape of the head and shank being such that in passing plies of a collar, cuif, or garment over them or in removing them therefrom or in turning the head from the receiving to the holding position, or vice versa, there is no stretching of the buttonhole or turning over of the edges of the buttonhole or any special wear thereon, the width of both head and shankbeing considerably less than the length of an ordinary bu ttonhole and there being no projecting portions of either shank or head to tear or wear a buttonhole. In order to accomplish these results and produce a simple and thoroughly practical and serviceable article of this character for general use, we have devised the novel button of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, reference characters being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of our novel button in the normal or holding position; Fig. 2, a similar view, the head being in longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a side elevation, the head being turned to the receiving position; Fig. 4, a similar view, the head being turned to the holding position, said Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 being on a greatly-enlarged scale for convenience in illustration; Figs. 5 and 6, views of our novel button with a modified form of base especially adapted for attaching collars to shirts and shirt-waists; and Figs.7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are detail views corresponding With Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, illustrating the construction of our novel button, Fig. 9 being a section on the line ac :12 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 11 a section on the line 1 y in Fig. 9.

A denotes the base-plate of our novel button; B, the shank, which is rigidly secured-to the base-plate and is provided with a disk 1, lying in a plane at right angles to-the'axis of the shank and'wholly at one side of the shank, and C the head, which is pivoted eccentrically to disk 1. It will of course be apparent that the special shape of the stud is not of the essence of our invention nor is the manner in which it is attached to the base-plate. In the present instance we have shown the shank as provided with a stud 2, by means of which it may be riveted to the base-plate. Disk 1 is provided at its center with a hole 3 to receive the pivot by which the head is retained in place and with a groove 4 across its face. The

special construction of the head likewise is notof the essence of ourinvent-ion. In the present instance we have shown the head as consisting of a plate 5 and a shell or cover 6. Plate 5 is provided with a hole '7, which is adapted to register with hole 3 in disk 1, said plate being shown as pivotally secured to the disk by means of a pin or stud 8.

9 denotes a spring which may be attached to plate 5, but which we preferably form iniegral with said plate by striking out a tongue of the metal, leaving said tongue attached to the plate at the end opposite to hole 7. The shell or cover is simply a finish for the head of the button and is preferably rounded, as indicated in the drawings, so that it will pass freely through the buttonholes of collars, cuffs, or garments. In the present instance we have shown the shell or cover as provided with a flange 10, extending slightly below plate 5. This flange l0 fits closely around the disk and shields the same from contact with parts of clothing united by the button and prevents any threads or portions of fabric from being caught between the parts inclosed by plate and securing it thereto.

said flange. Said parts may be conveniently secured together, if desired, by turning the edge of the flange over the plate.

In assembling, spring 9 is placed in engagement with groove 4 and the plate secured to the disk by the pin or stud 8. The head is then finished by placing the shell over the The engagement of spring 9 with groove 4; will be clearly understood from Fig. 11. It will be obvious from this view, in connection with the other figures of the drawings, that the spring will act to hold the head either in the receiving or holding position, but will permit it to be turned readily from one position to the other when required. It will be noted from Fig. 9 that the diameter of disk 1 is just equal to the short diameter of plate 5 and that flange 10 upon the head fits closely around the disk, the head turning freely, but steadily, on the shank and disk when required and being normally retained at either the receiving or holding position by the engagement of the spring with the groove. The eccentric pivoting of the head to the shank is a very important feature of our invention, as it enables the head to be placed in a receiving position, which offers no obstruction to the passage of buttonholes over the head and shank, and after all of the plies of garment and collar or cuif, as may be, have been passed over the head and'upon the shank it enables the head to be turned to a holding position that will retain all the plies of garment and collar or cuff in position on the shank.

The operation of our invention will be readpreferably with an opening, as indicated, and

is bent to form an upright portion, to which the shank B is secured, and with a lower portion at an angle to the upright portion. The

material of which ladies shirt-waists are made is usually thin and the waist-collar or neck- I band is not usually stifi enough to properly support a collar-button and collar. The device indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 is adapted for use with such shirt-waists by fitting the upright portion of the enlarged plate A inside plate A in this form is made may be such' that if the angle of its portions does not suit the shape of the wearers neck it may be bent at a lesser or greater angle to insure an up= right position of the upper portion of the plate, while-the lower portion will lie snugly and unobtrusively under the material of the waist below the neckband. In this form the construction of the head 0 and its connection with the shank may be identical with that illustrated in the other figures.

Having thus described our invention, we claim A collar-button comprising a base-plate, a shank rigidly secured thereto and provided with a disk lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shank and wholly at one side of the shank, said disk having a groove at across its face, and a head pivoted directly to said disk and eccentrically to the shank and having a spring which is adapted to engage the groove so as to retain the head at either the receiving or holding position, said head having a flange fitting closely around the disk and shielding the same, said flange and head being rotatable relatively to the disk.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIS B. AUSTIN}.

WILLIAM N. CRAW. \Vitnesses:

JACOB M. LAYT'ON, HAROLD W. WILSON. 

